User blog:Deathblade 100/What's the Price of a Mile? Poilus vs Frontovik
While, the First World War has ended over 100 years ago, it has shaped generations. To commemorate the end of the Centenary of the War, we will look at two of the Entente's main armies and face them off against one another. The''' Poilus'''- France's blue-shirted infantry, who fought tooth-and-nail to stop the German advance at the forts of Verdun. VS. The Frontovik- Imperial Russia's frontline fighters, who took the Germans offguard in the East Prussia Offensive of 1914. WHO...IS...DEADLIEST? To find out the history of war and modern science collide, as we test the weapons and tactics used by these instruments of war. We dissect their strengths and weaknesses and file them in for an all new battle to the death. It's no rules, no safety, no mercy. It's a duel to the death, to find out who is the Deadliest Warrior. Warriors Poilus The Poilus were the frontline soldiers of the French military during WWI. Wearing distinctive sky-blue tunics and red pantaloons in the early stages of the war, they fought hard from 1914 through to 1918. Unlike the English Army, the Poilus was based around Universal Conscription. Each year, a class of men turning 21 would be inducted for three years of army service, and after such service would be put into the reserves, where every time they reached a certain age, the commitment would grow less and less. The mobilization plan put heavy emphasis on the use of the extensive French rail system to muster troops to their respective fronts; holding the right to activate the reserves and re-conscript people who'd already done their service... which after a variety of setbacks on the Western front from 1914-1917... they inevitably did |-| Rifle= Lebel Mle. 1886 *Calibre: 8x50mmR Lebel *Capacity: 8 *Range: 400 metres (minimum) *Tube magazine |-| Light Machine Gun= CSRG Mle. 1915 *Calibre: 8x50mmR Lebel *Capacity: 20 *Range: 200 metres (effective) *Rate of Fire: ~240 rpm |-| Heavy Machine Gun= Hotchkiss Mle. 1914 *Calibre: 8x50mmR Lebel *Capacity: 30 *Range: 500 metres *Rate of Fire: 450-500 rpm *Strip fed |-| Semi-Auto Rifle= RSC Mle.1917 *Calibre: 8x50mmR Lebel *Capacity: 5 *Range: 400 metres *En-bloc fed |-| Revolver= Mle. 1892 *Calibre: 8mm French Ordinance *Capacity: 6 *Range: 50 metres |-| Grenade= F1 "Bilant" *Range: 25-30m *Charge: 6 grams TNT |-| Melee= French Nail *Length: 25 cm *Material: Steel *Made from cut-down Rosalie bayonets |-| Battle= Verdun The Battle of Verdun was a major engagement during the First World War. From its start on the 21st of February to its conclusion on the 18th of December 1916, Verdun has been classed as the longest battle in recorded human history at over 303 days. The French fought a heavily defensive engagement using twenty-four forts to repel the German offensive. Some forts used in the battle included Fort de Vaux and Fort Douamont. *More Frontovik The Frontovik were the standard infantry of the Imperial Russian Army in the First World War. Primarily made up of conscripts of varying ethnicities, the Frontovik made up the bulk of the Russian military personnel throughout Russia's involvement in the war (1914-1917). During the 1917 Revolutions (February and October) many of the Frontovik actively sided with the rebels. In the resultant Civil War, the vast majority of the opposing Red and White Armies were made from the remnants of the Imperial Army including the Frontovik. |-| Rifle= Mosin-Nagant M1891 "3-line rifle" *Calibre: 7.62x54mmR *Capacity: 5 *Range: 500 metres (effective) *Internal box magazine |-| Light Machine Gun= Madsen M1902 *Calibre: 7.62x54mmR *Capacity: 40 *Range: 400 metres (effective) *Rate of Fire: 450 rpm |-| Heavy Machine Gun= PM-M1910 *Calibre: 7.62x54mmR *Capacity: 250 *Range: 500 metres *Rate of Fire: 500 rpm *Belt fed |-| Semi-Auto Rifle= Fedorov-Avtomat M1916 *Calibre: 6.5x50mmSR Arisaka *Capacity: 25 *Range: 400 metres *Stripper-clip fed |-| Revolver= Nagant M1895 *Calibre: 7.62x38mmR *Capacity: 7 *Range: 22 metres |-| Grenade= M1914 Grenade" *Range: 30-35 metres *Charge: Picric Acid |-| Melee= Spike Bayonet *Length: 30 cm *Material: Steel *Weight: 1.5 kg |-| Battle= Brusilov The Brusilov Offensive was a major engagement during the First World War and one of the few successful Russian offensives of the war. Taking place between the 4th of June and the 20th September 1916, the offensive coincided with the German Verdun campaign. The offensive was key in lifting pressure off of the Entente on the Western Front. *More Battle The Trenches, 1918 Poilus: x15 Frontovik: x15 Fifteen Poilus patrol a stretch of occupied trenches, their horizon blue uniforms standing out in the middle of the mud. Many of them cleaned or reloaded their Lebel M1886 rifles, while several maintained their Chauchat LMGs. In the distance, fifteen Frontovik soldiers watched the French line from their own trenches. The Russian officer unholstered his Nagant revolver and gave the signal to attack. Twelve of the Frontovik rose up, bayonets fixed to their Mosins. The whistle blew, and the Russians charged towards the French. As the Russians got within range, the French machine gunners opened fire; the rapid fire from the Hotchkiss M1914 dropping two of the Russians. One of the Russians threw a M1914 Lantern Grenade into the machine gun nest; the blast killing one and injuring another. As the Russians entered the French defence, two of the Russians were caught by Lebel and Chauchat fire. A Russian machine gunner opened fire with his Madsen, fatally wounding two of the Poilus. Several of the Russian soldiers opened fire with their Mosins, killing a further two French soldiers. A French soldier drew a French Nail and repeated stabbed one of the Frontovik. The Russian officer gave the order to fall back. As the Russians withdrew, a shot from an RSC-1917 rifle caught one in the back. The French Poilus prepared themselves for the counterattack. A whistle is blown, and the Poilus clamber over the parapet into No Man's Land. Several F1 Grenades are thrown at the Russian trench, killing one and wounding several. As the French approached the line, a PM-M1910 opens fire, cutting several of the Poilus to pieces. One of Russians lunged forward impaling a Poilus with his Mosin bayonet. The French officer fired his revolver into the trench, killing one of the Frontovik. A Chauchat opens fire, killing two Frontovik. A Fedorov Avtomat opens fire, catching one of the Poilus in the hail of 6.5 Arisaka bullets. The cracks of Mosins and Lebels fill the air as both sides struggle over the Russian trench. As Poilus keep advancing, a Russian Madsen gunner opens fire, killing three more of the French army. A thrust from a French Nail cuts down another Russian. The Russian officer opens fire with his Nagant, killing one of the Frenchmen and injuring another. The French Chauchat gunner continues to fire his machine gun until it malfunctioned. The French officer fired his M1892 revolver until is clicked empty. Picking up a Lebel, the French machine gunner fires several shots, killing two more Russians before a burst of Madsen fire cut the two Poilus down. The remaining Russians yelled "S Nami Bog!" in victory. X-Factor Notes Battle is 15 vs 15 and set in a fields with trenches. Voting ends on the 13th of June. Votes must be at least one paragraph in length and must have proper punctuation and grammar. No biased voting like "French cause better gear" or "Russians cause French = surrender". These votes will not count. Category:Blog posts